Familiarity
by MyDearestCheryl
Summary: Cheryl Blossom and Toni Topaz now live together, and do everything together. But what happens between Blossom family drama, an unexpected love triangle, and one unfortunate night? Can they stand up to it all?
1. Chapter 1

"Good morning, beautiful." Cheryl whispered as she rolled over to face Toni.

"Hey there, Miss Bombshell." Toni replied with that crooked smile.

The morning sunshine flooded the small apartment, with its view of the train tracks and the river, which split the North side and the South side. From the window, you could see what remained of Sunnyside Trailer Park, Southside High, and the Whyte Wyrm, where the Southside Serpents met biweekly.

Cheryl stood in front of her wardrobe, sifting through clothes until she found an outfit that suited her mood that day. "Toni, would you get the paper from downstairs?"

"All right."

Toni stepped into a worn pair of slippers that once belonged to Cheryl. She descended the 5 flights of stairs, and grabbed the paper from _The Riverdale Register._ The paper was sprinkled with dew, and almost slipped out of Toni's hands as she climbed back up to their apartment. When she opened the door, Cheryl greeted her with a kiss on the cheek and a mug of coffee. Toni handed her the paper and they both sat down at the kitchen counter. Cheryl flipped through the paper while Toni stirred her coffee. Suddenly, Cheryl dropped the paper. It fluttered to the ground softly. Cheryl's face turned white as a sheet. Toni looked down at the paper. The page it was open on had a headline that read, "Penelope Blossom Found Dead at Thistlehouse". Although she barred her mother out of her life few years ago, Cheryl still had to live with the constant knowledge that she'd always be less than a mile away from her and her girlfriend. Cheryl looked like she did when Claudius Blossom walked into Jason's will reading. She reached her arms out towards her girlfriend, and Toni enveloped her in a hug. A single tear streamed down Cheryl's face. She was confused. Why would she feel any sympathy for her god-awful mother, who shipped her off to a mental ward and hated every bone in her body?

"Authorities found her at the foot of the grand staircase in her home, and later studies show she suffered a fatal fracture in her neck," Toni quoted.

"Hey, this article is by Jughead!" Jughead went to their school, and was the leader of the Serpents. Cheryl was still staring off into space.

"She's dead. I'm the only pure Blossom left." She mumbled, her eyes still fixed on a point somewhere in the distance.

"But you hated her," Toni reasoned. "Aren't you glad?"

Cheryl nodded. "I guess. As long as I have you, I'll be fine."

"Good." Toni said as she took both their mugs and placed them in the sink. "Come on, Bombshell. We're going to be late for class." They put on their Southside Serpent jackets and were out the door.

The cold air greeted the girls as they made their way across the parking lot, and to Toni's motorcycle. Cheryl grabbed the two helmets and handed one to Toni. 15 minutes later, they pulled into Riverdale Community College, where Cheryl studied design and Toni studied mechanics. They dropped their helmets on the handlebars and went into the large brick building. They had math and history together. When they entered the classroom, everyone turned to look at Cheryl. Of course they had all heard about Penelope. Cheryl just smiled and sat in her usual seat in the front of the class, right next to her one and only.

Classes went by fast that day. With Cheryl in tow, Toni marched out to her motorcycle, which was actually a birthday gift from none other than "Miss Bombshell" herself. Traffic was extremely light, but the weather was plain horrid. "TT, I can feel my eyelashes freezing!" Cheryl exclaimed.

"We're almost there." Toni said in her naturally reassuring voice. They passed the apartment, and instead traveled the familiar road to Pop's Chock'lit Shop. "Some hot cocoa?" Toni suggested.

They parked and walked in, the little bell tinkling as they opened the door. They were greeted by warmth and smells of hot foods and coffee. Cheryl sighed. "Our usual seats at the counter?"

Toni and Cheryl sat down, and ordered two hot chocolates with extra whipped cream. Ever since Pop Tate passed away over the summer, Pop's didn't feel the same. But it was the same diner. The same diner where Fred Andrews was shot, the same diner where Cheryl hung out with her backstabbing high school "friends", the same diner where Toni had comforted Cheryl and told her that she was _sensational_.

A waiter slid them two large mugs of cocoa, each with a monstrous mountain of whipped cream atop it. As they took a sip, the bell jingled again. Two of their fellow Serpents, Fangs and Sweet Pea, walked in. Sweet Pea, at a staggering 6'5", had to duck under the small door to get in. Fangs placed a hand on Cheryl's shoulder. "I heard about your mom, Cheryl. I'm sorry."

Cheryl and Toni both chuckled. "What?" Fangs looked puzzled.

"Are you kidding?" Cheryl sighed. "I hated her. In my opinion, she should have died sooner."

Fangs and Sweet Pea stood there, identically shocked. Cheryl never discussed her family among the other Serpents. The boys sat on either side of Cheryl and Toni. Sweet Pea stuck a finger in Toni's whipped cream, licking it with satisfaction. "Get your own!" Toni laughed.

There they were. Four Serpents at the counter of Pop's, laughing. A strange sight to most Northsiders. Cheryl took a sip of cocoa. She looked over at Toni, who was staring at her. "What?" Cheryl asked, blushing.

"You're just..." Toni stammered. "God, you are gorgeous." Cheryl blushed even harder.

"Back at you, Topaz." She said. "Wow, that was super lame, I'm sorry."

Toni giggled. She placed her hand palm-up on the counter. Cheryl put her hand in Toni's and it felt just like that night, after they saw that movie together. "I ship it!" teased Fangs. Both Toni and Cheryl shot him a glare. "I think we'll have the check," Cheryl said to the waitress, who took the empty cups. Sweet Pea dug in the pocket of his jacket and handed Cheryl two 5 dollar bills. "I have my own money. Thank you though, Sweet Pea."

He stuffed the cash back in his pocket and Cheryl put her credit card back in her wallet. Toni and Cheryl got up, and arm in arm, walked out to the motorcycle.

When they got home, it was close to 7pm. Cheryl changed into her silk pajama set, and Toni changed into an old t-shirt and her old cheerleading shorts. Toni microwaved some leftover casserole, while Cheryl sat wrapped up in a blanket, totally spaced out. "Cheryl," Toni said from the kitchen. "You're staring into space again."

Cheryl jumped at the sound of Toni's voice. "Oh." she looked flustered. "Sorry, T."

Toni sat down next to her, and Cheryl placed her head on Toni's shoulder. Toni stroked Cheryl's fiery red hair, which cascaded down to her waist. The microwave beeped, and Toni returned a few seconds later with two plates of egg casserole. They sat on the couch, silently eating. Cheryl placed the plates in the sink, turned off the kitchen light, and sat back down. Toni snuggled into Cheryl's shoulder, and soon she was completely laying on top of her. She placed her head on Cheryl's sternum, and in that moment it felt as though time had stopped entirely. Cheryl craned her neck up so their lips grazed. Toni slid her fingers along Cheryl's jaw, and they were trapped in a kiss. After being entangled for about 2 minutes, Cheryl's phone rang. "Who the hell is it?" Toni asked as she sat up and handed the phone to Cheryl. "Oh, it's Polly. I'm going to have to take this." Cheryl stepped into the bedroom. "Cousin Polly!" she exclaimed cheerfully.

"Cheryl, are you okay?" Polly asked.

"Oh, please don't tell me that you saw-"

"I did. I'm sorry."

"No, no, Polly." Cheryl chastised. "I hated her. I hated her with all of my heart."

"Are you sure you're fine?" Polly asked.

"Yes, I'm _sure_." Cheryl began to get annoyed.

"Well, then maybe you can attend the twins' 4th birthday party?" Cheryl's eyes lit up.

"Of course, Polly! Is it okay if Toni comes?"

"Who's Toni?" Polly asked. Cheryl sighed.

"My girlfriend." she said. The was a second of silence on the line.

"Oh, yes, she can come too! The more the merrier!" Polly replied over-enthusiastically.

"Wonderful. When is the party?"

"It's the 7th. Two weeks from now." Polly said cheerfully.

"Okay. Thank you, Pol." Cheryl said. "Toodles!"

She hung up the phone. Toni was still sitting and waiting patiently. "What was that about?" she asked.

"Polly invited us to the twins' birthday party!" Cheryl smiled.

"Us? As in... _us_?"

"Pretty sure there's no other 'us' in this scenario, T."

Cheryl yawned. "I'm tired," she mumbled, stretching her arms up above her head. "I have a literature test tomorrow." she added.

Toni got up and followed Cheryl into the bedroom. The covers were cold, just like outside. They both read on their phones for a while, until they were both struggling to keep their eyes open. "Goodnight, Cheryl." Toni whispered.

"Goodnight, Toni. I love you." Cheryl replied back. They kissed for a brief second before going to sleep.

Around midnight, Cheryl jerked awake, gasping. Toni bolted up. "What? What is it, Cheryl?"

Tears were streaming down Cheryl's face. Toni grabbed her shoulder and locked her in a hug. "It's okay, you're safe, you're with me. I've got you."

"Th-the Sisters." Cheryl stammered.

"You're not with The Sisters, you're with me. You're safe."

Cheryl had nightmares constantly. They usually featured Jason, her parents, or The Sisters of Quiet Mercy, the conversion camp Penelope shipped her off to.

"I'm sorry, Toni." Cheryl was still crying.

"No, Cheryl, you don't have to be sorry. It's totally understandable. You are so strong, you know that? Not many people have been through what you have. You have nothing to be sorry about." Toni felt tears on her shoulder as she cradled Cheryl, protecting her like a shield.

After a few minutes, Cheryl fell back asleep, while Toni watched her peacefully for as long as she could, before her eyelids felt heavy. The next morning, when she woke up, Cheryl was gone. She momentarily panicked before she heard the TV on in the living room. Cheryl was curled up on the sofa, where she was watching Game Of Thrones. Toni gently placed a hand on her shoulder, and she jumped. "Toni!" she shrieked.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to startle you." Toni started backing up.

"No, it-it's fine." Cheryl shook her head. "Come sit and watch with me." She patted the couch cusion next to her, and Toni plopped down beside her, laying her head on Cheryl's shoulder. "JJ and I used to watch this all the time, freshman year of high school. On weekends we'd binge until we got caught up."

Toni nodded microscopically. "It's 8:05, better get ready." Cheryl looked at her phone.

The school day went by extremely quickly, even faster than yesterday. After classes, Toni had trouble getting the motorcycle to start because it was so cold, but after a few tries, she finally got the engine running. "I need to teach you how to drive this thing." Toni said as they approached a red light.

"You're kidding." Cheryl laughed.

"No, I'm serious."

"Maybe we just get a car." Cheryl suggested. Toni rolled her eyes.

"Says the one who bought this thing!"

They laughed as they pulled into the parking lot of Sweetwater Apartment Complex. They hopped off the bike and raced each other to the stairwell. "No fair!" Cheryl called. "I'm wearing heels!"

Toni sat down on the foot of the stairs, laughing as she caught her breath. "I won!" she said as Cheryl stomped over next to her. She shivered. "Come on, T, let's get inside already."


	2. Chapter 2

Cheryl stood in the kitchen, making dinner, which consisted of pasta and chicken. Toni sat at the table, finishing some history homework. "Food's ready!" Cheryl announced.

They sat and ate quietly, loaded the dishwasher, and changed into their pajamas. "So," Toni said. "You wanna finish that episode of Game of Thrones?"

"Nah. I just want to cuddle with you."

"Cheryl, is everything okay? You seem... off." Toni had a worried look in her eyes.

"No, it's...everything's fine."

"Cheryl, don't lie to me. I know you. So tell me." Toni stroked Cheryl's arm.

"It's just, I don't know. I don't know! What's wrong with me, Toni?"

"Cheryl, it's okay! It's fine to not know!"

"It just feels like since she died, she's been... haunting me."

"What do you mean, Cheryl?"

"Like it's all coming back. Her hurting me. She drugged Polly, hurt Jason, hurt _you,_ she hurt everyone. I just can't help thinking that I hurt people too. I did so many bad things, Toni. I-"

"Stop it!" Toni interrupted, her voice tearful. "You are not like your mother. You may have done some bad things, Cheryl. But you're not the person you were."

"I even hurt you," Cheryl said, ignoring Toni.

"What? You did not."

"I did! Toni, stop lying to yourself. I burned down a house! Jesus, Toni, I covered myself in blood and threatened to burn down Thistlehouse!" Cheryl sobbed.

"But you saved me. Cheryl, you saved me from the Ghoulies."

"It's not enough. One act can't repay what I've done."

Toni grabbed Cheryl forcefully. "You are not an awful person. You've been through hell and back. You are stronger than all the Serpents combined."

Cheryl buried her face in Toni's chest, smearing mascara and lipstick and tears everywhere. "Cheryl, you deserve the world. You really are sensational."

Cheryl sobbed even harder. Her chest heaved and Toni clung to her like a shield, protecting her from the world, the world that had Cheryl convinced she was an awful person. Cheryl needed a lot of shielding from the world. "Maybe we should go to bed." Toni suggested. Cheryl wiped her nose on her sleeve.

"Okay, yeah. That sounds great."

And even though Cheryl was a few inches taller, Toni managed to carry her on her back into the room, before dropping her on the bed and collapsing next to her. Toni brought Cheryl a bottle of makeup remover and then braided her long hair. Cheryl turned off the lights and settled into bed, still holding onto Toni's hand. "I love you more every day, Cheryl Blossom." Toni kissed Cheryl's forehead. Cheryl smiled.

It was a Saturday, so the entire day was free. There was a Serpent meeting scheduled for 4 in the afternoon, but aside from that, there was nothing going on. Cheryl slept like a rock after what happened last night, and Toni was up bright and early, making breakfast. Toni's phone buzzed, the vibration making a loud noise against the countertop. It was a text message from an old friend, Kevin Keller.

Kevin: Hey, how are things?

Toni: Fine. What are you and Moose up to these days?

Kevin: Well, Moose is still working for Andrews Construction, and we're living at my dad's place.

Toni: Sounds good.

Kevin: How are things with you and Cheryl? Heard about Penelope.

Toni: Well, it could be better. She had a bit of an emotional breakdown last night.

Kevin: Jeez, sorry to hear that. Anyways, I had a great idea.

Toni: I'm listening.

Kevin: How about a double date at the Bijou this Friday? You and Cheryl and me and Moose.

Toni: I'll have to ask Cheryl, but that sounds fun!

Kevin: Awesome. Enjoy your weekend.

Toni shut off her phone, as Cheryl walked into the kitchen, her hair messy despite being plaited. "Good morning, sunshine. How'd you sleep?" Toni propped her chin up in her hand.

"Fine." Cheryl said. "Is that an omelet?"

"Yes. Do you want one?"

"Please." Cheryl smiled and sat down on the sofa. She was wearing a pair of Toni's slippers, which were a size smaller than Cheryl's.

"Aren't those mine?" Toni pointed to the slippers.

"Maybe," Cheryl smirked.

"Are they too small?"

"Maybe," Cheryl repeated. Toni chuckled.

"Omelets are ready." said Toni, sliding a plate down to the counter. They sat and ate and cleaned up. Toni got out a fluffy blanket and laid down on the sofa. Cheryl joined her and they were enveloped in warmth from both the blanket and each other. Cheryl placed her hands over Toni's shoulders. "I love you," she whispered.

Toni turned around to face Cheryl. Their lips locked for a second, before Toni pulled away. "So, Kevin texted me."

"Hm? What did he say?"

Toni smiled. "He suggested a double date at the Bijou. Us and him and Moose."

Cheryl perked up. "A double date, huh? Count me in!"

They both smiled, and kissed again. Their noses brushed together and Cheryl leaned her head into Toni's jaw. "Thank you." Cheryl said.

"What, for making out with you?" Toni giggled.

"No, for comforting me last night. You're the best, Topaz."

Toni blushed. After spending ten more minutes canoodling, they sat and watched Game Of Thrones, starting over since Toni had never seen it. It took them 4 hours to get through half of season one.

The weekend passed extremely quickly, and uneventfully. It was one of those lazy weekends, where it seemed like the world was only existent inside their apartment. On Monday, after school, Toni and Cheryl had appointments at the hair salon. Cheryl just got a trim, and Toni retouched her purple highlights. Toni noticed they didn't have much food, and Cheryl insisted on eating out. So once more, they ended up at Pop's. "This is the second time in less than a week we've been to Pop's." Toni said right before taking a humongous bite out of her burger.

"So?" Cheryl giggled.

"Nothing," said Toni. "I was just pointing it out."

Another normal night. Half the amount of Serpents this time, but otherwise just like any other day. A motorcycle roared into the parking lot of the diner. The little bell tinkled, but not as innocently as it usually did. A pack of leather-clad bikers filed in. Their jackets didn't bear the infamous snake logo. Everyone looked confused, even the servers. The crew of bikers separated, and through them strutted a face all too familiar. Penny Peabody. Toni's eyes widened. She tapped Cheryl on the shoulder, pointing at the door. Cheryl audibly gasped. Toni went to stand up, but Cheryl quickly grabbed her arm. "Are you crazy?" She hissed.

"I'll be fine, Cheryl. Now let me deal with her."

Cheryl let go of Toni, her stomach feeling uneasy.

"Well, well, well." Toni said, her expression cold and blank. "Look what the wind blew in."

"Topaz." Penny spat.

"I thought you were long gone, Penny."

"You were wrong, snake!" Penny said lowly.

"Unfortunately," Toni mumbled under her breath.

"I'm just here to grab a world-class shake." Penny sighed.

Toni rolled her eyes. "Like I believe that. Not in a million years."

Penny smirked. Everything flashed before Toni's eyes. Being tied up and threatened, seeing FP carrying Jughead's unconscious body out of the woods, the sparks of evil in her eyes, that apparently never went out.

Toni clenched her fists. Her face was mere inches from Penny's.

"Get out of here." Toni whispered through gritted teeth. "And take your meatheads with you."

And that's when Penny lost her calm. She swung at Toni, managing to land a punch right beneath her left eye. Toni fell to the floor, doubling over from the pain of the blow. Cheryl jumped up and rushed over to Toni as Penny strolled nonchalantly out of the diner. "Is it bad?" Toni asked.

"Bleeding just a bit. It'll be swollen." Cheryl said, trying to stay calm. Her hands shook as they skimmed Toni's cheek. She helped Toni off the floor and put her arm around her. They paid and left. "Are you sure you can drive?" Cheryl asked out in the parking lot.

"Yeah. It's a bruise, not a broken neck."

"But is your eye okay?"

"Left eye's a bit blurry. I'm fine, Cheryl, really. I've taken much worse."

Cheryl sighed. "Ok, if you're sure."

The ride home was quick. As soon as they got into the apartment, Cheryl ordered Toni to sit while she grabbed an ice pack from the freezer. "Hold this to your eye. It'll help with the swelling." Cheryl said.

Toni followed Cheryl's orders and Cheryl put both her arms around her. Toni was frowning. "Are you in pain?" Cheryl asked.

"No, I'm just mad." Toni sighed. "I thought she was gone. And then she just shows up out of nowhere, right when I think my life is going amazing?"

"Yeah, that does sound pretty low, but come on, it's Penny Peabody we're talking about." Cheryl joked.

But she was really thinking about how she totally would have done something like that.

Toni laughed. "Yeah, it does." She smiled. "But as long as my amazing girlfriend is by my side, she can't get to me."

Cheryl felt as though she'd been stabbed in the heart. She was contemplating on whether or not to tell Toni about the intrusive thoughts she'd been having ever since her mother died. She just smiled and held Toni's hand.

Around 8, Cheryl got up from the sofa. "I'm going to shower." she announced.

"Okay." Toni said. She heard water running a minute later. Then she heard singing.

" _And if I could, I'd bring them all, down to their knees,_ " Cheryl sang. " _I'd make them sorry forever, for teasing Carrie, Carrie, Carrie,_ "

Toni immediately picked up the tune. Cheryl was singing numbers from the musical she and Toni were in, back in sophomore year. She was never going to live down that a murderer made her drop her lead role. In the end, it wasn't a night to remember, it was a night to forget. Toni shuddered thinking of the sight of her peer's dead body from the side of the stage. The singing stopped for a few seconds. "Toni, can you bring my towel in here? I left it on the bed!" Cheryl called from the bathroom.

"Yeah!" Toni yelled back as she got up and went into the bedroom. She grabbed the towel and made her way to the bathroom, where she heard singing again.

" _What can I possibly do? To squeeze in, pow, why not now? When will I belong_?" Another song from the play.

" _Look where I am, damn, my whole life feels wrong_ ," She sang as Toni opened the door.

Toni smiled. " _What if I do snap, holy crap_ ," Toni sang. " _I'd crawl out of my skin, and so would you_ ,"

The water turned off, and Cheryl peeked her head around the curtain, where Toni was standing against the wall. Toni held out the towel, but instead of taking it back into the shower, Cheryl stepped out, her hair dripping, and grabbed the towel only when she was inches away from Toni.

Toni's mouth was hanging open. Cheryl smiled.

"You're so... gorgeous. In every way." Toni stammered as Cheryl wrapped the towel around herself. Cheryl swiveled around to meet Toni's eyes. Her hand found its way to the small of Toni's back, and they were trapped in an instant second, lips pressed to each others, and it was them and only them.

Only them.


	3. Chapter 3

Tuesday afternoon, after school, Toni received a call from Jughead. "Who's that?" Cheryl asked as Toni held the phone to her ear.

"It's Jug," she whispered. "Hey, everything all right?" Toni asked.

"It's about the dumb dog." Jughead sighed. "He's been limping and whining lately."

"Take him to the vet or something!"

"I can't, Toni." Jughead sounded distraught. "I looked it up, it's way too expensive. Can you guys just meet me at the Wyrm?"

Cheryl looked at Toni, slightly confused. Toni held a finger up. "Yeah, uh, we're on our way. See you in a few."

Toni hung up the phone. "Come on, we gotta go."

"Why? Where?"

"We gotta meet Jug at the Wyrm. Something's wrong with Hot Dog."

Cheryl rolled her eyes. "Well, let's go."

They arrived in ten minutes despite traffic. They hurried into the bar, where Jughead, Sweet Pea, and Fangs were sitting on the sofa. Fangs was carefully cradling the large sheepdog, stroking it and patting it. "Hey." Jughead said as he stood up.

"Jughead, hey." Toni said calmly.

"What happened to your eye?"

Cheryl shook her head at Toni.

"I tripped on the stairs."

Sweet Pea chuckled. Toni shot him a death stare and he backed off. "Anyways," Cheryl interjected.

"What's the matter with the dog?"

Jughead shrugged. "I don't know, he's just been whimpering and not putting any weight on his paw."

Toni leaned over so she could get a look at Hot Dog. Its head was resting in Fangs' lap as Sweet Pea scratched its ears. It was a strange sight, seeing two grown men cradling and cooing at a big dog. Jughead put a hand behind his head, exasperation showing on his face. "We can barely afford his food. It'll cost $80 just to get him checked out, and if we were to put him down, it would cost another $200 or so. So we have limited options."

Toni sat down on the other side of Fangs. "Which paw?" she asked, and Sweet Pea tenderly pointed to the front left one. Toni gently lifted it, and on the bottom, immediately recognized the two marks.

"You guys, I think he was bitten by a snake!" she exclaimed.

Jughead leaned down, picked up the paw, and looked at the underside of it. "Yeah, that's a snake bite."

"Was it the rattler?" Sweet Pea pointed at the rattlesnake sitting in a glass box over on the other side of the room.

"Could be. If so, it's just a bite. It had its venom glands removed." Jughead knitted his eyebrows together, deep in thought. He looked down at his own hand, where he had a scar from when he was bitten.

"The bites don't match. It wasn't that snake." He nodded to the back corner, his beanie shifting ever so slightly.

"Well, then what kind of snake was it?" Fangs looked increasingly concerned.

Cheryl stepped up from behind the sofa.

"Jughead, how much did you say it would cost to take the dog to the vet?"

"Around $80. Why?"

"I'll pay for it." Cheryl announced.

Jughead shook his head. "Really, you don't have to."

Hot Dog whimpered. Fangs frowned. "We'll take the van." He said.

So the five serpents, plus the dog, piled into the 2008 Honda minivan. "Where even is the vet?" Sweet Pea looked out the window.

"Near the high school." Toni said, pointing vaguely.

They got to Riverdale Animal Hospital in 20 minutes. Sweet Pea, being the biggest and strongest one, carried the large dog into the lobby, which was empty, save for a young girl and her father, cradling a kitten. Cheryl sauntered up to the desk, talked to the receptionist, and returned to where the rest of the crew was sitting. "We can't get in for 30 more minutes without an appointment." Cheryl told the group.

"Then we'll just have to wait a half hour." Fangs said, reaching over to pat the poor mutt's head.

The dog let out a heart-melting whine.

"Awwww," Fangs sighed.

"Is someone attached to the dog?" Sweet Pea teased.

"Shut up." Fangs' mood quickly changed. He crossed his arms.

About 30 minutes later, a vet with scraggly gray hair emerged from a door to the left of the desk. "Ms. Blossom?" He peered at his clipboard.

Cheryl hopped up from her seat. "That's us." she said.

Sweet Pea picked the dog up from Fangs' lap and staggered towards the door. Once they were in the room, Toni told the vet, Dr. Lowry, about Hot Dog's paw. The vet inspected it thoroughly, prodding it and flexing it. The dog whimpered whenever Dr. Lowry touched it. "Well," the vet said. "It's definitely a snake bite. The spacing of the marks implies it's a cottonmouth bite.

"Wait, aren't those venomous?" Jughead clasped his hands together in his lap.

"Yes, they are." Dr. Lowry sighed.

Fangs looked like he was on the verge of tears.

"So what can we do?" Sweet Pea said.

"How long has this been going on?" Dr. Lowry adjusted his circular glasses.

"About three days." Jughead answered.

"I'm surprised he's lived that long. Usually cottonmouth venom is lethal to dogs."

"What can we do?" Sweet Pea repeated.

"Well, you can either let him painfully live out his last days, or you can put him down peacefully tomorrow." Dr. Lowry said, obviously trying to guilt trip them.

"And how much will it cost?" Toni asked.

"It usually costs $175." the vet replied.

Fangs looked physically pained. He was the most emotionally attached to the dog, and most of the time it was living in his trailer. "I'll cover it," Cheryl said quietly.

"Cheryl," Jughead put a hand on her shoulder. "You really don't need to. We can use our emergency funds."

"No!" she shouted, before lowering her voice. "No. We'll see you tomorrow, Doctor. Thank you."

Cheryl stood, pulling Toni up with her. Hot Dog whined as Sweet Pea took the poor thing into his arms again. They all piled in the van, Sweet Pea setting the dog gently in the back seat. Fangs was sitting in the passenger seat, looking out the window, one leg propped up on the leather seat. He sniffled and turned to Sweet Pea, who was in the driver's seat. There were tears on his face, gleaming in the mid-morning sun. The tall, raven-haired serpent jumped out of the seat, walked over to the passenger door, opened it, and enveloped Fangs in a hug. Fangs' chest heaved. Toni placed a hand on his shoulder sympathetically. "Let's get back home," Sweet Pea whispered.

Fangs nodded and shut the door.

Instead of going back to the bar, Sweet Pea drove to his trailer. He stopped the car and climbed into the backseat to grab the dog, who yelped in pain at the sudden movement. Fangs winced. The five all headed up the steps into the small, messy trailer. Cheryl looked uncomfortable, to say the least. Sweet Pea set the dog down on the sofa, and Fangs collapsed beside it. Cheryl sat on the floor with Toni next to her and Jughead leaned against the arm of the sofa.

The next day, Toni was awake bright and early, already dressed with her Serpent jacket slung over her shoulder. Cheryl took 30 minutes to get ready and grabbed a granola bar as they descended the stairs of the apartment complex and got on the motorcycle. This time, they met the boys at the vet's office. When they got there, Jughead and Sweet Pea were waiting on the sidewalk. They both looked mildly distressed. "Where's Fangs?" Toni asked. "And the dog?"

Jughead sighed.

"The dog died this morning."

"Why didn't you call me?" Toni glared at him.

"We were just really busy." Jughead adjusted his hat. "Fangs is in the van."

Toni and Cheryl hurried over to the red car, where Fangs was in the backseat. "Fangs?" Toni slid open the door.

"Oh," she mumbled.

Fangs was sitting in the back, surrounded by tissues. He was in hysterics. Toni hugged him while Cheryl stood outside with her head poked in awkwardly. "Aw, Fangs. It's okay." Toni placed a hand on his shoulder.

He shook his head no. "I just... I'm sorry I'm making such a huge scene." he sighed and tried to collect himself, but instead a sob escaped from the back of his throat.

"I mean, it's just a dumb dog, right? It wasn't even really mine. Technically it was FP's."

There was a knock on the rear window. Sweet Pea held his face up to the dirty glass. Fangs tried to fake a smile, but it just looked like a pained grimace. The tallest one made his way around to the open door and squeezed into the back seat next to Fangs. "You okay?" it was rare Sweet Pea showed a lot of emotion, other than anger.

Fangs said nothing; he simply laid his head on Sweet Pea's shoulder as more tears rolled silently down his face.

Jughead took the wheel, while Sweet Pea continued to comfort Fangs in the backseat. Toni drove the motorcycle back to the apartments. The sky looked ominous, its dark gray clouds threatening to release a downpour any second. The two girls hurried inside, and, as they promised, the clouds started pouring rain. It was unusually warm, about 60° today. "More _Game Of Thrones_?" Cheryl grabbed the remote.

"Sure. What episode were we on?" Toni asked from the kitchen while she poked around in the fridge, finding something to eat. She sat down on the sofa next to Cheryl with a bowl full of baby carrots.

About 2 and a half episodes later, when the rain had finally diminished and the town was left in a humid haze, Cheryl announced she was hungry. They discussed for a bit whether they wanted to eat out or just cook something themselves, and ended up making grilled cheese sandwiches. They sat down at the table, their chairs as close together as possible. Cheryl threw a grape at Toni, and she caught it in her mouth. "Ready?" Toni giggled as she aimed a grape at Cheryl.

Cheryl nodded. The grape hit her forehead and fell to the floor. They both laughed. "Maybe we need to work on my catching abilities." Cheryl said between breaths.

"Or maybe my aim!" Toni said as she took a bite of her sandwich.

After the dishwasher was loaded and the table was cleaned off, Cheryl sat down on the couch, patting the cushion next to her. Toni sat next to her and wrapped her arms around her girlfriend. Cheryl touched Toni's cheek ever so slightly, and Toni leaned her head up so that her and Cheryl's lips were just barely connected. It was a small, short kiss, but it felt good. It felt right.

* * *

 **Thank you everyone who supports this story! I know this chapter was a little bit shorter, but I'll make up for it in the next chapter! Feel free to give this story a review, and let me know what I should add, what I need to work on, etc. Thanks again!**

 **-PeachyyyyBombshell**


	4. Chapter 4

Friday rolled around and before they knew it, Toni and Cheryl were getting ready for a double date at the Bijou with their friends, Kevin and Moose. "Where's my mascara?" Toni said as she sifted through the contents of her makeup bag.

"I don't know." Cheryl shrugged. She proceeded to cover her lips in her "iconic" red shade.

"Found it." Toni held up the mascara.

"Hallelujah," Cheryl sighed apathetically.

Toni chuckled. She adjusted her boots, which were hand-me-downs from Cheryl.

"How do I look?" Cheryl stood up and spun.

"You look," Toni smirked. "Sensational."

Cheryl blushed. She walked out next to the door, and Toni followed her. "Let's go," Cheryl said as she pushed open the door.

Kevin and Moose were waiting inside for the two girls. Cheryl went to greet them, while Toni made her way to the concessions stand to order some snacks. "Can I take your order?" a familiar voice said.

Toni almost jumped. "Fangs! What are you doing here?"

"Just trying to earn some money, Toni."

Toni looked worried. "Are you doing all right, Fangs?"

Fangs nodded. "Yeah. I just, need some extra money for food and bills and stuff, but it's fine. I get good pay."

Toni didn't look convinced. "Whatever you say. But just call me if you ever need anything."

"What movie are we seeing?" Cheryl asked over where Kevin and Moose were standing.

" _Ant-Man and the Wasp._ " Kevin said. "It sounds really good."

"Yeah, Kev loves his Marvel movies." Moose elbowed Kevin playfully.

Toni hurried over to where the rest of the group was standing. She handed Cheryl a cup of cherry cola, of course, and she handed Moose a bucket of popcorn. "We're in theater 4." Toni read off her ticket stub.

Once they found four open seats in a row, they sat down right as the movie was about to start. Toni shivered. "It's cold in here," she whispered to Cheryl.

"Take my sweater." she whispered back. Cheryl removed her cardigan and draped it over Toni.

"Better?" she asked. Toni nodded. She laid her head on Cheryl's shoulder. About halfway through the movie, Kevin stood up. "Where are you going?" whispered Moose and Cheryl simultaneously.

"Bathroom." he mouthed.

Toni stood up, placing the sweater back on Cheryl's lap. "I'll go too, while there's nothing going on."

After Toni finished washing her hands and adjusting her hair, she stepped outside, expecting Kevin to be waiting outside for her. In a ways, he was. Toni gasped and took a step back. Right there, next to the men's restrooms, Kevin and Fangs were making out. Toni's heart sank. "Ok, I should probably go back now."

"Yeah," Fangs sighed.

Toni waited until the coast was clear to finally return to the theater. She contemplated telling Cheryl right then and there, but she decided to save it until they were home.

When the movie ended, the majority of the people in the theater had left. Moose was about to stand up, when Kevin grabbed his arm. "What?" Moose sat back down.

"There's end credit scenes. Just hold on."

Toni stood up, grabbing Cheryl's hand. "I think we're going to go home." Toni smiled sweetly, mainly at Kevin.

"Yeah, alright, bye guys." Kevin waved.

"Let's do this again sometime," Moose put an arm around Kevin, completely oblivious.

The drive home was quiet and a bit awkward. Toni hurried into the apartment, leaving Cheryl in the dust. "TT, what's the rush?" Cheryl jogged to catch up.

Toni pushed the door open. "I'll tell you when we get inside." her voice trembled.

Cheryl sat on the edge of the sofa. "Okay, spill it, Toni."

Toni was pacing back and forth. "I saw Kevin... Kevin and Fangs," she blurted.

Cheryl's eyes widened. "Kevin's cheating on Moose?"

Toni nodded quickly, her earrings swinging.

"Oh my god," Cheryl said.

"I know! What am I supposed to do?"

"Um, I don't know. This is awful!" Cheryl stood up.

"It would probably be easier to talk to Fangs. Knowing Kevin, he's probably the one who instigated it in the first place."

Cheryl bit her nails.

"Ok, what's our plan?"

"I'll go over to his trailer tomorrow, to talk to him." Toni reassured her.

"Sounds good. And don't bother being nice." Cheryl was in full HBIC mode at this point.

An hour later, the two girls sat in bed. Cheryl was reading and Toni was looking through her photographs, trying to figure out which ones to keep and which ones to discard. The red-haired girl yawned. "Tired?" Toni asked as she closed her laptop.

"Yeah. It's been a long day."

"Hey, don't be concerned. I'm going to put a stop to this."

Cheryl nodded. "You know," she crooned. "For a date, it wasn't very romantic."

Toni chuckled. "Really," she raised an eyebrow. "How can I make it up to you?"

Cheryl didn't say anything. She just leaned toward Toni, and their lips locked. Cheryl noted that Toni's lips tasted of citrus. Toni placed her left hand low on Cheryl's waist, and she let it trail up Cheryl's side, brushing her ribs. Cheryl undid the first two buttons on her silk pajama top, and Toni undid the rest. Toni wriggled out of her t-shirt, taking her lips off Cheryl's for a second to slip it over her head. Toni flipped over so she was laying on her stomach on top of her girlfriend. "Cheryl. I, I love you. God, I love you, you're so amazing."

Cheryl grinned. "I love you, Toni."

Toni reached for the back of her bra, but Cheryl grabbed her hand. "I don't think we're ready. Not now."

"Says the one who stepped out of the shower naked!" Toni smiled, but followed Cheryl's orders.

Their lips connected again. Toni parted hers, allowing Cheryl to slip her tongue through. Both of Cheryl's hands were on Toni's hips, holding her so she wouldn't fall over.

Toni sighed. Her head was now resting on Cheryl's sternum, while Cheryl had her arm tightly around Toni's waist. "I love you."

"If I had a dollar for every time you said that..." Cheryl giggled.

Toni smiled. "What time is it?"

Cheryl grabbed her phone. "Quarter till midnight."

"I'm tired."

"Well, go to bed then."

"Goodnight, Cheryl. I love you."

"Goodnight, _ma cherie,_ " Cheryl said gently. She rolled over and turned off the light, and they both fell asleep like that.

Cheryl was the first one awake the next morning. She sat wrapped in a blanket on the couch, reading something on her phone. Toni sneaked into the living room, trying to be quiet. "Ow!" she exclaimed. Cheryl whipped around.

"Toni?" Cheryl gasped.

"I was trying to sneak up on you..." Toni laughed. "But I stubbed my toe." she murmured.

Cheryl cackled. Toni sat on the ground, arms crossed.

"Not funny." Toni stuck out her lip dramatically.

"It is funny." Cheryl smiled, and reached out her hand for Toni to grab. Toni stood up and jumped on the couch, bouncing the cushions up and down. "What are you, a five-year-old?" Cheryl put a hand on Toni's shoulder to stop her from jumping up and down.

"Let's watch some Game of Thrones." Toni picked up the remote.

"Is someone hooked?"

"A bit," Toni tilted her head to one side.

They sat watching a couple episodes, and then went about their daily lives. Cheryl cleaned the kitchen while Toni sorted out all the stray makeup in the bathroom and on the vanity, and then they decided, since it was another oddly warm day for autumn in Riverdale, that they'd go out for a walk.

The air felt good as Cheryl and Toni walked along the trail in Pickens Park. The leaves, all golden and red and yellow, crunched underneath their feet. Suddenly, Cheryl grabbed Toni's arm and pulled her behind a large tree. "What?" Toni looked confused.

"Kevin's here. I don't want him to see us." Cheryl hissed.

"We're just walking in the park. He doesn't even know that we know about his affair with Fangs." Toni reassured her.

"Yeah, you're right." Cheryl sighed and walked back out to the paved path.

They ended up not even being noticed by Kevin, and had a pleasant outing. Toni had to take a break because she had to walk faster to keep up with Cheryl's pace. One of the downsides of being short.

At exactly five o'clock on the dot, Toni put on some shoes and grabbed her phone. "Back in a bit," she called.

"See you soon, love!" Cheryl shouted back.

Toni descended the stairs and mounted the old motorcycle. She pulled out of the parking lot, and headed over to Sunnyside Trailer Park.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello wonderful readers! I'm so sorry for the inactivity lately, for the past week I have been up north, where I didn't have access to my laptop. But I'm back now, and I'll be back to my normal posting algorithm so stay tuned!**

Toni set out on the motorbike. She was halfway to the trailer park, when out of the corner of her eye, she saw a blue car, coming straight at her. Her mouth opened, and she had seconds to scream, before the car plowed into her. She was thrown a few feet, the motorcycle landing in the center of the intersection, bent beyond repair. The driver, a middle-aged woman who Toni and Cheryl had seen at Pop's before, exited the car, her face white as a sheet. The woman reached for her phone to call 911.

Back at the apartment, Cheryl's phone rang. She answered. "Who is this?" she asked.

"Is this Miss Blossom?" a voice said on the other end.

"This is she," Cheryl answered. It was probably a telemarketer or something.

"Are you in any way related to Antoinette Topaz?"

"Yes. I am her girlfriend and roommate. Why?"

"She was struck by a car at the corner of 22nd and Elm street."

Cheryl gasped. "WHAT?" she was frantically pacing.

"She's aboard an ambulance on the way to Riverdale General Hospital. Her condition is critical."

"What does that mean?" Cheryl's breathing was ragged and heavy.

"We'll see. Have a good day, Miss Blossom." the phone disconnected.

Tears streamed down Cheryl's face. She reached for her phone and dialed Betty, a friend and cousin of hers.

"Betty." Cheryl tried to sound calm.

"Cheryl, are you okay?" clearly Betty could detect the panic in her voice.

"I need to use your car."

Ten minutes later, Betty's white Civic pulled up in the parking lot. Cheryl was standing on the curb, shaking like a leaf. She got in the car. "Cheryl, I'm so sorry." Betty placed a hand on Cheryl's shoulder.

Cheryl just nodded. The drive to the hospital was silent, except for the occasional sob from the passenger's seat. Betty parked in a space close to the entrance. "Do you want me to come with you?" Betty asked as Cheryl got out.

"No. You've done plenty, Cousin Betty." Cheryl's voice wavered.

Cheryl pushed open the door to the hospital and checked in as a guest. The receptionist pointed to the left. She hurried down the hall to the left, to a door marked with the number 017. A patient info card next to the door read Antoinette Topaz. Cheryl tugged on the door, but it was locked. After a minute of struggling, a nurse came. "She's not in visiting state right now." he said.

"No. I need to see her now." Cheryl said firmly.

"You can't. You'd put her at an even higher risk."

"Higher risk of what? Dying?" Cheryl was starting to break again.

"Ma'am, it's just not safe."

"She's my girlfriend! I love her! Let me in, please!" Cheryl pleaded.

"Please, ma'am, I would rather not have to escort you outside. You will be notified when she's in better condition."

So Cheryl waited in the lobby for a total of 14 hours. Around 6 in the morning, another nurse, an older woman with jet black hair, strutted in with a clipboard. "Miss Blossom?"

Cheryl stood up quickly. "Can I finally see her?"

The nurse pursed her lips. Cheryl's face showed a mixture of fatigue and confusion. "What is it? Can I see her?"

The nurse just stood there, looking at her clipboard. "No. Is she..? No." Cheryl stuttered.

Tears streamed down her face.

"You can go in and visit her, but be careful."

"Huh?" Cheryl tilted her head.

"She's just woken up. Be gentle."

Cheryl beamed. She hurried down the hallway and burst through the door. "Toni!" Cheryl cried.

"Cheryl?" Toni's eyes darted to the door.

"It's me. I love you." Cheryl stood next to the bed, and took in what was in front of her. Toni had lots of bruises on her face alone. Her neck was in a brace and she had tubes everywhere.

"Oh my god," Cheryl looked up and down Toni's body.

"Pretty bad?" Toni cracked a weak smile.

"It's not good." Cheryl smiled. "You'll bounce back."

Toni smirked. "Yeah. You know what might help?"

"What?" Cheryl crossed her arms. She clearly already knew what Toni was going to ask. "Yes."

Cheryl leaned down, and gently kissed Toni over and over and over. It was a bit interrupted by some tubes and bandages, and it was a bit difficult trying to kiss someone in a neck brace, but they managed. "I'm so glad you're safe. If you had died, who knows what would've happened. You're my everything." Cheryl sighed. Toni started crying.

"Toni, what is it?"

"Cheryl, I was so scared. The fear was even worse than the pain. I was so afraid I wouldn't live, and that you'd be alone. I was so scared of leaving you."

Cheryl carefully grabbed Toni's hand. She maneuvered her fingers around the IV needles and squeezed slightly.

Toni stayed in the hospital for 4 days after that, and was discharged in a wheelchair. She no longer needed the neck brace. Her left arm was in a cast going from her bicep to her fingers. She had lots of stitches on one of her sides, trailing vertically along her rib cage. On her other side, she had a broken rib. One of her knees had shattered, but aside from that, she didn't have any major injuries. She'd been checked and didn't show any signs of brain damage. Cheryl constantly smothered her, asking if she needed anything every five or ten minutes. "I'm fine, Cheryl." Toni would constantly reassure her.

Cheryl had her fun, wheeling Toni back and forth down the hall, speeding up a bit each time. Other than wheelchair rides, Toni basically lived on the sofa. She was due back at the hospital 2 weeks after she left.

And two weeks later, Betty pulled into the parking lot of the small apartment complex, up closer to the building this time, right in front of the ramp down onto the pavement. Jughead hopped out of the passenger seat and gingerly lifted Toni up and into the back seat. Cheryl folded up the wheelchair, tossed it in the trunk, and got into the seat next to her girlfriend. "We heard all about you, Toni." Jughead smiled warmly.

Toni smirked. "Oh, really?"

"Yeah, Cheryl called us from the hospital the day of your accident."

Cheryl looked worried.

"Also," Jughead continued. "The reason you were going to Sunnyside in the first place."

Cheryl buried her face in her hands.

"And?" Toni tried to cross her arms, but her huge cast got in the way.

"We talked to Fangs, he admitted he had been seeing Kevin, but he said it was Kevin who started flirting with him."

"As predicted," Cheryl mumbled.

"Does Moose know?" Betty interjected. "About being cheated on?"

"Um, no." Jughead bit his lip.

Betty sighed. The rest of the way to the hospital was pretty silent.

"Here we are," Jughead muttered as he got out of the car and popped the trunk open. He placed Toni in the wheelchair with the caution of 20 nurses.

Betty rolled down her window. "Call us when you're done, we'll swing by and pick you up."

"Got it!" Cheryl called.

She wheeled her girlfriend inside and the same receptionist Cheryl interacted with on the day of the accident told them to head right, to an office that said "Doctor Richards".

Cheryl tugged open the heavy door and stood against it, holding the door handle with one hand and pushing the wheelchair with the other. A dark-skinned woman who looked to be in her mid-thirties greeted them. "You must be Antoinette." she said in a very relaxed tone.

"I usually go by Toni."

"Okay then, Toni. I'm going to remove the cast from your arm, and we'll x-ray it to make sure the bone has healed."

"Which bone was broken in the first place?" Toni tilted her head.

"It was just a small fracture in your elbow, but we didn't want it to spread." Dr. Richards pointed to the large cast.

So after an hour, Toni left with both arms freed up, which meant she could use crutches now, bandages on her ribs gone, and a slightly smaller knee brace. Cheryl hugged her tightly outside. "I told you that you healed fast." she smiled as she stroked Toni's hair, which still had vibrant pink highlights scattered throughout it.

Sure enough, Betty's car stopped right in front of them. Jughead got out of the car. "You can have the front seat, Toni."

"Really? You're gonna be cramped back there, Mr. 6-feet-tall."

"It's fine." Jughead smiled and rolled his eyes.

"Eye-rolling is my thing!" Cheryl hit him jokingly.

"Cheryl, you're rubbing off on him. He was never this sassy before you joined the Serpents." Toni laughed.

Once they were home and settled in, and Toni was relaxing on the sofa, Cheryl brought her a bowl of popcorn. They munched for a bit while watching _Game of Thrones._ After one episode, Cheryl had a genius idea. "I'll be right back." she jumped up. Cheryl hurried into the bedroom, and opened up the South Riverdale Car Dealership website. She browsed for a bit, until she finally decided on a used fossil gray Ford hybrid. Now, she just needed a reason to go out alone.

"Hey, TT, Polly wants me to come help her with the twins. She said something about picking birthday outfits, and as you know, that is my specialty."

"Oh, well, I'll come too." Toni reached for her crutches, but Cheryl touched her hand.

"She said she wants to have some one-on-one cousin time. I'll be back in about an hour and a half."

Toni sighed. "Fine. But _be careful_."

"I will. She's coming to pick me up."

"Okay. But first," Toni tugged on Cheryl's sleeve.

"Yes?"

Toni pulled Cheryl into a passionate kiss, long and sweet.

"Ok, I gotta go, mon amour."

Cheryl hurried out the door. A taxi was waiting at the curb. She came back an hour later, with the new car. She took the stairs two at a time, and ran into the apartment. "Come down here, Toni! There's something really important that you need to see!" Cheryl was grinning. Toni raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, just give me a sec." Toni slipped the crutches under her arms. They made a rather loud clicking noise every time she took a step down the hallway to the elevator. As soon as the doors opened on the ground floor, Cheryl sprinted out and stood next to the new car. Toni's eyes widened when she finally got outside. "Cheryl, where did you..."

"Since the motorcycle is now a piece of scrap metal rusting away in the junkyard, I decided we should get a car." Cheryl said in her most upbeat voice.

"I love it!" Toni squealed.

"It's not the best, but it'll certainly do."

Toni leaned on her crutches so that her head was resting on Cheryl's shoulder. Cheryl wrapped her arms around her. "I love you," Toni whispered.


	6. Chapter 6

About two weeks after Cheryl purchased the car, she got to drive Toni back to the hospital, and hopefully, she'd be good to go. She had already taken a few steps on her knee without crutches, and both of them felt confident about this visit. "Excited?" Cheryl asked.

"Yeah," Toni fiddled with the tune knob until she found a radio station she fancied.

Toni had made an extremely speedy recovery after an accident that could have been very, very fatal. "I'm so glad you're okay." Cheryl whispered to her as they sat at Dr. Richards' desk.

Toni squeezed Cheryl's hand in response.

"Ok, you're all clear, Miss Topaz. But no vigorous activity for at least four weeks, got it?"

Toni nodded.

Once they were out of the building, Cheryl picked her girlfriend up by the waist and spun her around on the sidewalk. Toni giggled. Cheryl gasped and put Toni down. "What? What is it?" Toni tried to read Cheryl's expression.

"You know what this amazing recovery warrants? A party!" Cheryl chirped.

"Gosh, Cheryl. Why can't we just grab a milkshake like normal people?"

"So who should I invite?" Cheryl scrolled through her phone.

"You know..." Toni racked her brain. "Maybe just us and the guys. At the Wyrm. It might be fun."

"That's the spirit!" Cheryl led Toni out to the car. "How about we all meet in two hours?"

Toni nodded.

Everyone agreed to show up. Sweet Pea and Fangs were both an easy yes, while Jughead needed persuading. He finally succumbed, and agreed to bring refreshments. So all five of them met at the Whyte Wyrm. Fangs and Sweet Pea arrived together, and Jughead was, as Cheryl calls it, fashionably late. "Sorry, guys. Traffic gets bad on this side of town." he mumbled as he set down a case of beer on the counter.

"Um, a moment?" Cheryl grabbed Jughead by the arm. "Why did you bring beer? You and Sweet Pea are the only ones who can drink."

"Oh. I didn't know that." Jughead was clearly lying.

"You did. You're testing me, aren't you? I can see right through you, Jones, so don't even-"

"What's going on?" Toni popped her head in.

"Nothing!" Cheryl exclaimed. "Nothing at all."

About an hour later, pretty much everyone was drunk. Cheryl's cheeks were flushed as red as her hair, and Toni was dancing to _Queen_ music. Actually, dancing wasn't the right word to describe it. More like flailing. Fangs was sitting so close to Sweet Pea on the couch he was practically on his lap.

"Okay," Jughead stood up. He was the most sober of the group. "I think it's about time we have some fun."

"What exactly are you proposing?" Cheryl smiled.

"I was hoping you had suggestions."

"Why not a good old game of spin the bottle?"

They all nodded in agreement. Toni went first. The bottle landed on Fangs.

"Oh, god." Toni sighed. "Just remember, babe, you're the best kisser." she turned to Cheryl.

Fangs didn't have time to panic before the world's most platonic kiss ever happened. It was quick and diligent. They did what needed to be done.

It was Cheryl's turn next. She jumped up and down when it landed on Toni. They kissed briefly, not wanting to make it too uncomfortable. Jughead spun next. The bottle landed on Fangs again. "Sweet Jesus," Fangs muttered under his breath.

"I'm as against this as you are, Fogarty."

"Wait!" Sweet Pea put his hand in front of Fangs' face. "Jug, sit down."

"Sweet Pea, what are you-" Fangs didn't get to finish his sentence before Sweet Pea cut him off with a kiss. The boys' bodies intertwined, Sweet Pea clutching Fangs' jaw, Fangs wrapping his hands around the other boy's shoulders. Jughead looked super uncomfortable, while Cheryl and Toni were watching them with joy.

Sweet Pea pulled away from the kiss. "YEAH!" he bellowed. They were both sweaty and flustered. Fangs looked slightly mortified, but it was easy to see the pleasure deep down.

"Three years I've wanted to do that." Sweet Pea whispered.

"Okay, maybe let's do something else now!" Jughead cut in, wanting to move as far away from the recent events as possible.

"Jenga!" Toni exclaimed as she jumped up and down.

"What is that?" Jughead asked.

Toni pointed to a stack of blocks on a table. "Sweet, remember playing this all the time in middle school?"

Sweet Pea nodded. "Yeah, I'll show the others how to play."

So a few minutes later, everyone was crowded in a circle around the tower of wooden blocks. Fangs pulled out an unsteady block and the whole stack tumbled down. "Good job, Fangs!" Cheryl cackled. She was probably the most drunk.

"Maybe I should get Cheryl home. She gets bad hangovers, you know?" Toni grabbed Cheryl's arm.

"Uh, where are you going?" Jughead stood between her and the door. "You are not driving."

"I'm not that drunk. It's fiiiiiiine." Toni argued. Jughead stood with his arms crossed. "I'll drive you home. I only had one beer."

Toni sighed. "Come on, Cheryl."

Cheryl was wandering around aimlessly.

"Cheryl!" Toni called. The clumsy redhead stumbled over next to her.

"I love you." she mumbled.

"You too," Toni replied.

She followed Jughead, while dragging Cheryl behind her, out into the parking lot. The night air was cold and nippy. Toni adjusted Cheryl's seat belt and sat next to her. "Sure you don't want the front seat?" Jughead patted the seat next to him.

"Nah." Toni shook her head. "I'm good back here."

* * *

 **I'm so sorry this chapter is so short! I'm going to be starting school really soon, so I'll probably post chapters in batches as opposed to posting one chapter at a time like before. Next chapter will be longer and we'll get to see Juniper and Dagwood's little birthday party! Stay tuned for chapter updates, and if you like this story so far, please give it a review.**

 **-PeachyyyyBombshell**


	7. Chapter 7

**Once again, I apologize for the late chapter, I started school recently and my schedule during the week is so tight, so unfortunately the only time I can really write is on weekends. I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

The drive home was mostly quiet, except for the fact that Cheryl and Toni were making out the entire way. They only stopped to breathe. Jughead tried to ignore them and keep driving, but it was a bit difficult. "You ladies need some help upstairs?" he asked once the car was parked.

"We got it." Toni hugged Jughead while Cheryl trotted behind her like a dizzy puppy.

Most of her lipstick was on Toni's face. Somehow they managed to make it up to the apartment easily. "Ok, let's go to bed." Toni suggested.

Cheryl shook her head. "No. Not yet."

She sat on the edge of the bed, and grabbed Toni's hand.

A few seconds later, Toni was on top of Cheryl, alternating between kissing her neck and her face. Cheryl's hands were anchored on Toni's waist. "I want you." Cheryl whispered in a tone that sent shivers down Toni's back.

"All of me?" Toni smirked.

"Every inch."

Toni smiled slightly, then recoiled.

"What?" Cheryl looked disappointed.

"It's just," Toni stammered. "I've never really done... you know."

Cheryl's eyes glowed warmly.

"Oh, well, if you aren't ready..."

"No, no. No. I'm ready. I want this, Cheryl, I do."

"I won't hurt you."

"Oh, of course you won't. I'm just a bit nervous."

Cheryl hugged Toni close to her chest, letting her shiny red locks cascade over the smaller girl's shoulders. Toni reached and fumbled around for her bra clasp. Cheryl swiftly undid it. She lifted Toni by the hips so that she sat in a straddled position.

"Now don't freak out," Cheryl breathed. "Just trust me."

Toni shot up in bed. The morning light was seeping through the windows and Cheryl was gone. She tiptoed out of bed and wandered into the living room. No sign of her girlfriend. That's when she heard noises coming from the bathroom. Toni hurried in there to find Cheryl sitting against the wall, her face flushed and pale and sweaty. "Oh my god, are you okay?" Toni blurted out.

"I am so..." Cheryl groaned. "hungover."

Toni nodded sympathetically.

"We've all been there."

Not a second after Toni finished speaking, Cheryl vomited. Toni jumped a bit at the sight, and ran into the kitchen to grab paper towels. Cheryl looked miserable.

"How drunk were you last night?" Toni smiled, trying to lighten up the mood.

Cheryl groaned. "What even happened? I don't remember anything."

Toni smirked. "Well, let's just say, we did a lot of stuff last night."

Cheryl stared blankly at Toni, obviously not understanding. Toni raised her eyebrows. Slowly but surely, a look of joy spread across her face. "I thought it was a dream," Cheryl chuckled.

She smiled for a few more seconds, and then proceeded to throw up more. Toni handed her some more paper towels and she wiped her face off. "I'm gonna get you some water." Toni grabbed a glass and filled it with water and hurried into the bathroom. Cheryl took the glass, her hand shaking violently, and took several large swigs.

"Hey, slow down!" Toni grabbed Cheryl's wrist. "You don't want to throw that up too."

Cheryl sighed.

"You wanna lay down instead of sitting on the dirty floor?" Toni asked.

Cheryl nodded and stood up slowly. Toni lead her to the bedroom and pulled the duvet over her. "Too warm?"

"It's perfect. Thanks."

Just then, Toni's phone buzzed on the nightstand. Toni tried to reach it, but her arms were too short. Cheryl grabbed it with ease and handed it to Toni. "Who texted you?" Cheryl asked.

"Oh God..." Toni put her hand on her forehead. "I forgot. Today is Polly's kids' birthday."

Cheryl looked panicked. "What? I thought it was tomorrow!"

Toni shook her head. "Today is Saturday, remember?"

"But I told Betty I'd be there!"

"I'll call her."

Toni stood in the living room, holding her phone to her ear. The line rung 3 times before Betty answered. "Hey Betty," Toni said coolly.

"Hi Toni, what's up?"

"About the birthday party," Toni pushed her light pink hair out of her face. "Cheryl's too, uh, hungover to attend."

"What?" Betty sounded confused.

"Ask Jughead." Toni sounded utterly defeated and drained.

"Ok. Can you come?" Betty still sounded chipper as always.

"Uh, I'll have to ask Cheryl. If she's feeling better later, then I'll be there. Don't worry, I'll keep you posted, Blondie."

Betty sighed. "High school nicknames? Two can play at that game, Tiny Topaz."

Toni giggled.

"Ok, I should check on Cheryl. Bye." Toni hung up and returned to the bedroom, where Cheryl was scrolling through her phone.

She smiled and took a picture of herself.

"Did you just take a selfie?" Toni crossed her arms.

"Why, did you want to be in it?" Cheryl smiled.

"Guess you're feeling a bit better." Toni sat on the foot of the bed.

Cheryl nodded and nuzzled deeper into her covers. Toni stroked the cascade of sunset-red hair splayed out on the pillow.

"You know what, I think I can make it for a few hours at a birthday party." Cheryl said after a few minutes of silence.

"Ok, well get dressed then, it's in an hour," Toni stood up and Cheryl followed her to the closet.

By the time they were both ready, Cheryl had made a full recovery and was back to her normal, peppy self. She strutted down to the car in a maroon dress and her suede thigh-high boots while Toni went with the more casual option of a white shirt, jeans, and leather flats. When they got to the house, Betty and Juniper greeted them. "Auntie Cheryl!" Juniper beamed and ran to hug Cheryl. Although she wasn't very fond of children, she made an exception for her niece and nephew.

"Hi guys! Glad you could make it!" Betty took Juniper's hand and led her up the stone steps.

The party was quite small. Aside from Cheryl and Toni, it was just Polly, Betty, Jughead, Veronica and Alice. "Ronnie!" Cheryl chirped. "Long time, no see!"

Veronica hugged her and Toni. "Sorry Archie couldn't make it. He had a final exam back in New York that he couldn't miss."

Betty shook her head. "No, it's fine."

Jughead placed a hand on Betty's shoulder. Just then, both the twins bounded into the kitchen. "Hi everyone!" Dagwood waved.

"Hi, Daggie!" Betty picked him up. "Oh, you're getting so big!"

Juniper jumped up and down. "Me too! I'm big too!"

Jughead scooped her up and put her on his shoulders. "Look, Uncle Jug! I can touch the ceiling!"

Veronica giggled. "OMG, Uncle Jug? That's great."

Betty shrugged. "They just started calling him that."

Jughead walked in laps around the house, alternating between having Juniper and Dagwood on his shoulders, trying to keep them entertained.

"I can take them, if you want." Polly smiled.

"No, it's fine. It's good exercise." he joked.

"Smile!" Alice came into the hallway with her phone.

"Cheeeese!" the twins smiled in unison.

Betty stood behind her mom, grinning. Alice handed Betty the phone, which displayed an adorable picture of the twins and Jughead. "You guys are going to be the best parents," Alice gushed.

"Okay, time for cake!" Polly called.

Everyone crowded in the kitchen and sang happy birthday. The cake was simple, just white icing with 'Juniper' written in pink icing and 'Dagwood' written in blue, and an assortment of sprinkles on the sides. Polly cut the cake and everyone took a slice. Cheryl took small bites, being cautious not to upset her stomach. After cake, the twins sat on the floor and opened their presents. Cheryl and Toni had gotten them pillows embroidered with their names, and matching blankets. Betty and Jughead's present was a plush rocking horse, and Veronica gave Juniper a plastic tea set and Dagwood a small ukulele.

"Archie's idea," she smiled as Dagwood plucked at the strings.

After presents, everyone sat in the living room and talked while the twins played with their new toys. Juniper ran up to hug Veronica. "I really like my tea set, Miss Ronnie." she smiled.

"I'm so glad," Veronica adjusted the little girl's ponytail.

"And I like my pillow, Auntie Cheryl! And... who are you?" Juniper looked at Toni.

"I'm, uh, Aunt Toni." she said.

"Oh. Are you guys married?" Juniper rocked back and forth on her heels.

"Not yet," Cheryl put her hand on her niece's shoulder.

Everyone smiled. Betty raised an eyebrow at the couple. Cheryl and Toni chuckled.

A few minutes later, Jughead and Betty both stood up. "There's something we'd like to announce." Betty said proudly.

"I'm officially going to be 'Uncle Jug'."

"What?" Alice looked confused.

"Mom, Jughead and I are engaged!" Betty beamed.

Polly shot up out of her chair and wrapped her sister in a giant hug. "I'm so happy, Betts."

Veronica joined in the hug, and soon everyone was talking about the rings, and the dress, and where, and when. "I gonna be a flower girl!" Juniper clapped.

"Am I gonna be the ring bear?" Dagwood asked.

Polly lifted him up. "Yes, you are."

So after a very, very eventful birthday party, everyone slowly started trickling out and parting ways. Veronica had to catch a flight to New York in a few hours, and Polly had promised she'd take the kids out for dinner. Juniper had been walking around the house all day, practicing how she would toss flower petals. Cheryl and Toni said their goodbyes to everyone and went back home. "Well, that was the most eventful little kid party I've ever been to." Cheryl chuckled.

"You've been to these sort of parties before?" Toni smirked.

"Babe, I've been to every kind of party there is."

"Have you ever been on a romantic dinner date?" Toni slid her hand across Cheryl's thigh.

"Well, you got me there." Cheryl sighed.

"Let's change that."

* * *

 **Thank you so much for reading! I'm so happy that this story almost has 1k views, I never thought it would be so popular! Please leave me a review if you'd like, they are always appreciated. If you would like more, feel free to follow this story so you never miss when a new chapter is posted! Thanks again!**

 **-PeachyyyyBombshell x**


	8. Chapter 8

So Toni booked reservations for 2 at a nice restaurant in Greendale. Cheryl insisted on going shopping together to pick out new outfits just for the occasion. She bought a tight-fitting yellow dress (color per Toni's request) and she picked out a gray velvety dress for her girlfriend. Cheryl being Cheryl, she even picked out shoes. She made sure to find some heels for Toni, even though she liked it when she was quite a bit taller.

And finally, at 6 o'clock, they girls arrived at the steakhouse. Cheryl bounced up to the hostess. "Hi, we made reservations a few days ago." she smiled. "For two."

"Uh, Miss..Topaz?" the hostess looked up from a piece of paper, most likely a reservation list.

Cheryl's heart lit up. "Yes." she nodded and took Toni's hand.

"Right this way."

The couple followed her to a table adorned with a bouquet of red roses in the center. "Oh, T, this is amazing!" Cheryl whispered under her breath.

"I don't disappoint," Toni smirked, and the angle that her soft lips formed made Cheryl's heart melt.

Their meals were delicious, and they ended up sharing a dish of crème brulee, which happened to be Toni's favorite. As they left, Toni slipped a rose into her purse. Once they got in the car, she put it in her girlfriend's shiny hair. "Aw, thanks, Toni!" Cheryl touched the flower lightly before leaning in for a kiss. Their lips pressed together for quite a bit, until Cheryl looked over at the dashboard and saw that it was already 8. "Okay, we should go on and head home. We can continue this afterwards," she winked.

They got home and as soon as they got out of the car, they kissed under the humming fluorescent lights of the apartment building's overhang. "I have something for you," Toni grabbed Cheryl's hand like an excited little kid and didn't let go until they got into their apartment. There were rose petals everywhere, and candles on the counter. Toni carefully lit each one, and grabbed a box from the coat closet. In it was a vintage record player. "I know how much you love old stuff. And..."

Toni pulled an Elvis Presley vinyl out of the box. "Old music too. This one's my personal fave."

Upon closer inspection, the song was Can't Help Falling In Love.

Cheryl's jaw dropped. "Toni! This is amazing!"

Toni put the record on. She stood in the kitchen blushing madly, until she extended her hand out. Cheryl took it.

The music played through the entire place, all while Cheryl and Toni swayed in the kitchen. Cheryl's hands were on Toni's shoulders and Toni planted her hands firmly on Cheryl's hips. "This is so nice," Cheryl whispered.

"Just trying to be romantic," Toni replied.

"Well, it's working."

"Good." Toni stood on her tiptoes so that her eyes were at the same height as Cheryl's.

Cheryl's eyes flickered down towards Toni's lips, and she pulled her face forwards so they were kissing. "I love you," Toni sighed between breaths.

"I love you even more, my Southside Princess."

And with that, Cheryl picked Toni up and carried her into the living room, where she plopped her down on the sofa. They made out for a good couple of minutes, and then realized that it was dead silent. The record had stopped playing. Toni chuckled. "Maybe some record shopping is in order." she suggested, knowing that Cheryl couldn't pass up an excuse to shop.

The next morning, Toni woke up to a message on her phone. From FP, of all people. Why would he be calling her though? She stepped outside so she wouldn't wake the beautiful girl next to her and played the voicemail. "Hey, you should probably come to your grandpa's trailer, pay him a visit. His Alzheimer's is getting worse, and he might have to go to a facility soon." Toni grimaced. "Anyways, hope you and Cheryl are doing great. Jug told me how happy you guys are, still. I'm happy for you."

Toni chucked the phone onto the sofa in defeat and sighed heavily. "What's going on, T?"

She jumped at the sound of Cheryl's voice.

"Nothing," Toni crossed her arms. "Just my grandpa."

"What about him?"

"Well, he has Alzheimer's, and then FP called me this morning saying that it was getting worse. He and my grandpa are pretty close. I mean, they pretty much created the Serpents."

Cheryl nodded, trying to give the illusion that she understood perfectly what Toni was saying.

"Do you mind if I go see him? You can tag along if you'd like." Toni played with her hair out of nervous habit.

"I'd love to! Let's bring him something. Does he like flowers?"

"We can bring him some flowers. Although, in the condition the trailer is in, it would be like putting a band-aid over a gunshot wound."

15 minutes later, the two Serpents stood outside the oldest trailer in Sunnyside. An old motorcycle sat next to the steps. It was covered in dust and one of the tires was entirely flat. Cheryl clutched a bouquet of pink roses. "Pink is for admiration," she added.

Toni knocked on the door 5 times. Nobody answered. Finally, she pushed on the door. It swung open, and almost knocked her over. "Who the hell is there?" a gruff voice called from somewhere inside.

"Abuelito?" Toni carefully entered the home. "Soy yo, tu nieta Toni."

She paused for a second. "Ah, Toni! Bienvenido!" Thomas finally called.

Toni turned towards Cheryl. "He remembers me," she smiled.

"We brought you some _rosas._ "

"We?"

"I'm here with _mi novia_ ," Toni said coolly. But she was a bit nervous that he wouldn't be okay with her having a girlfriend. She was right.

"Novia?" he shouted.

" _Si_ ," Toni nodded.

"Out. Both." Mr. Topaz scowled. "Leave flowers here."

Toni ran out of the trailer, and Cheryl shuffled out slowly, glaring at the old man the whole time.

Toni sat down on the step and stared at the ground. Cheryl sat next to her, so close that their thighs were pressed together. A single tear rolled down Toni's cheek. She quickly wiped it away, but more kept coming. "Toni," Cheryl laid her head on the smaller girl's shoulder.

"I can't," Toni sniffled. "I can't do it anymore."

"Wh-what do you mean?"

"Just, everything. The glares. The rude remarks. People thinking we don't matter. I'm sick of it."

"Are you saying we should-"

"No!" Toni's eyes grew wide with momentary panic. "No, of course not! Cheryl, I love you."

Cheryl pulled Toni into a tight hug.

"Listen," Cheryl consoled. "There's nothing wrong with us. And if other people don't think we matter, then screw them."

Toni swiped at the tears on her face. "You are beautiful. We are beautiful." Cheryl adjusted her girlfriend's braid so that it cascaded down her shoulder.

"Yeah." Toni nodded, reassuring herself.

"Go in and take the roses. He doesn't deserve them." Cheryl giggled.

Toni pushed the door open forcefully. "I'm taking the flowers."

"Chica grosera!" Thomas hollered as Toni snatched the bouquet and left.

"Te vas al inferno!" the man shouted as his granddaughter slammed the door and stomped down the creaky metal steps.

"I never want to see that man again." Toni snarled as she threw the flowers on the ground in front of her and proceeded to step on them as she walked, leaving smashed rose petals behind her. She got in the car and slumped angrily in the driver's seat.

"Let's just get home," Cheryl sighed.

"Yeah." Toni drove home silently. The only thing you could hear was the heater blowing air.

When they got home, Toni was still upset. "Toni, calm down. He's just an old guy who's probably still half-asleep."

"Just an old guy? He's my only family."

"Am I your family?" Cheryl tilted her head like a puppy.

"Yeah, but he's the only biological family member I know of. You know, that's a little sad."

Cheryl inhaled. "Oh, Toni, you have no idea. Did you forget that you literally had to break me out of a conversion camp? That my mother of all people sent me to? Have you ever been ripped apart, and been tormented, and called wrong, shameful, loveless, deviant? No. You haven't. So don't act like just because your grandpa yelled at you, that you know how I feel." Cheryl's voice didn't waver once. Her face was as cold as stone. Toni, however, was curled up sobbing. Cheryl stormed out of the bedroom, leaving Toni sitting on the bed, alone.

"Cheryl?" Toni sneaked into the living room.

Cheryl was watching Game Of Thrones, for the third time. She was surrounded by used tissues and blankets. Toni always knew she never took arguments well. "Hey, I'm not mad at you, okay? I agree with you. You've gone through a lot more than I have. So can we pretend this little fight never happened, and go back to how we were?"

Cheryl chuckled. "Get over here and kiss me, silly."

And that's exactly what she did. No matter how much hate there is in the world, they know that they have each other.

 **Hi everyone! Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Sorry for the delays once again, I hope you understand! If you like this story so far, please follow and give it a review. I love hearing feedback from my readers! Until next chapter,**

 **-PeachyyyyBombshell**


	9. Chapter 9

"Come on, get up!" Cheryl gently shook Toni's arm. She jolted awake, her pink hair flying in her face as she gasped and quickly sat up.

"God, Cheryl!" Toni brushed a strand of hair out of her face.

"Oh, sorry! Sorry!" Cheryl placed a manicured hand on Toni's collarbone.

"Okay, so why did you wake me up anyways?"

"Let's go record shopping! At that little place near the Bijou."

Toni's eyes lit up. "Yes! Mind if I bring my camera? I have a photography project due next week."

Cheryl smiled warmly. "Of course!"

Toni slid into the living room, camera around her neck. "That's my sweater," Cheryl pointed at Toni's outfit.

"And?" Toni sat into her hip.

"And it looks really hot on you," Cheryl traced her girlfriend's jawline with her fingertip.

"Whoa," Toni sighed. Cheryl chuckled.

"All right, let's go."

Cheryl parked outside Riverdale Record Co. and the girls walked hand in hand up to the door. Toni pulled it open and held it for Cheryl. The redheaded girl wandered around, browsing through different sections. Toni snapped some pictures of various records. "Pose for me, my little muse," she smiled as she pointed the camera at Cheryl.

"Are you doing, like candids, or should I literally pose?"

"Uh, how about some good candid shots?" Toni suggested.

She managed to get 3 really great pictures of Cheryl in various positions, and the couple also managed to find a bunch of records. In the end, they bought another Elvis Presley one, and a newer Imagine Dragons vinyl. The winter air blew down Main Street. Toni shivered and Cheryl wrapped her arms around her. "Do you want to warm up at Pop's?" Cheryl squeezed Toni's hand.

Toni nodded. The girls walked a block to the old diner. When they walked in, they were greeted by warm air and the smell of coffee. They both exhaled as they took a seat at the counter. "What can I get you ladies?" a middle aged man with a notepad appeared on the other side of the bar.

"I'll have a latte," said Toni.

"Do you still have that amazing rose tea blend?" Cheryl inquired.

"Uh, yeah," the server nodded.

"I'll take a cup of that, thank you."

The drinks came relatively fast, and the diner wasn't very full. Cheryl smiled as Toni pulled the cup away from her face to reveal a layer of foam on her top lip. The tall girl wanted to lick it off herself, but decided to have some self control. Toni smirked and tucked a loose piece of hair behind her ear. The frosty glass door of the little diner slammed as an older man stumbled in and slammed his fist on the counter. Toni looked up, the vibration rattling the cups in front of her. FP was standing, hunched over, his eyes squinted and tired. "FP?" Toni gently put a hand on his shoulder.

"Toni," FP's voice shook. "Oh, God, nobody's told you?"

"Told me what?"

"Damn it," FP shook his head.

"What?" Toni's eyes widened.

"Your grandfather died." FP said. He just spat it out as it was. "I'm sorry."

Toni gasped.

"Actually, we went to visit him, and, oh no..." Toni trailed off, her eyes glassy.

"Toni?" Cheryl chimed in. "What happen – FP? What are you-"

"My abuelito died." Toni crossed her arms. "And the last thing I ever said to him was..."

Toni looked as if she was running out of oxygen. Her face was pale and there was sweat already on her forehead. Her whole body shook, and her lips trembled. She was urging herself not to cry, not in front of strangers just enjoying their meals. So she did the only thing she could... she got the hell out of the diner.

"Toni." Cheryl sat down on the hardened dirt, in the very back of Pop's, where there was a view of the train tracks, and past that, the river. "FP wants to talk to you," she extended her hand and pulled the still shaking girl off of the ground.

"FP, I need to tell you something." Toni crossed her arms over her chest, partly to look stronger and also to steady herself so she didn't shake quite as much. "When we went to see him, I told him I had a girlfriend, and he said I was disgusting, and that I wasn't allowed to come back, and..."

FP was stunned.

"And I said I hated him. I said so many awful things, and he's dead, and I regret them, and I'm such an awful person!" Toni finally exploded.

"Hey, hey, hey," FP consoled. "I had no idea about this. But you are not a bad person, Toni, and neither is Cheryl. If you two love each other, then I'll be happy. It's pretty much a Serpent law, accepting people for who they are."

Cheryl slowly made her way over to where Toni and FP were talking. "Anyways, Toni, you are one of the nicest people I know, and you, both of you," he said, looking at Cheryl over Toni's shoulder. "have been through so much. I'm proud of you guys." FP pulled Toni into a hug and eventually Cheryl joined in too.

"In unity, there is strength," Toni whispered.

"In unity, there is strength," the others echoed.

FP sat with the girls for another 15 minutes. "Well, I need to tell Jug, so he can tell everyone else. Toni, you don't have to come, but maybe you could help us honor him tonight?"

"No, no, I'll come. I'll be there. We'll be there."

And they did show up, a few minutes early. Betty and Jughead were standing at the door of the bar. "Toni, we're both so sorry," Betty nodded. She was always the emotional one when it came to fallen Serpents for some reason. She was nearly as distraught as Fangs was when she heard that the poor dog had kicked the bucket.

Ten minutes later, the whole place was packed. Sweet Pea was easy to spot due to his height, and he was in the back, leaning against the wall. Fangs was also unusually tall, and then Toni realized he was standing on a chair. While people were still shuffling around in the little room, Fangs accidentally leaned too far to one side, and the chair toppled. Before he even touched the ground, Sweet Pea was holding him up. And, although she denied to admit it, yes, Toni saw them kiss.

"Serpents!" Jughead bellowed. All conversation ceased. "You may be wondering why you're all here," he dug his hands into his pockets. "The great Thomas Topaz has passed away. Our oldest living Serpent is living no longer."

Several people gasped. One sob was heard from somewhere. Practically all eyes were locked on Toni, who was standing sheepishly by Jughead, sandwiched between Betty and Cheryl.

"And we will honor him, until the Serpents die out," Jughead stated. He looked across his fiancee, over to Toni.

"Anything you want to add?" he whispered. Toni shook her head no.

"Ok, that's it. Thank you for gathering here on such short notice," he sighed.

Everyone started streaming out, and soon it was just the four, and Fangs and Sweet Pea. They were busy cuddling in the corner, and the others decided it was best to just leave them be, although Cheryl snapped a picture, for blackmail purposes. "So, how are you guys doing lately? Oh, and Betty, have I mentioned how gorgeous your ring is?" Cheryl ran her finger over the little stone in the gold band.

"It's going really well," Betty smiled. "And thank you, Cheryl. Jug has good taste."

Jughead smiled and kissed Betty on the cheek.

"Have you figured out wedding dates yet?" Toni held Cheryl's hand as the cold evening air blew in her face.

"Hopefully this summer," Jughead smiled.

"That's soon! I mean, it's November right now!"

"Yeah, well, this one here is impatient," Betty winked at her husband-to-be.

"Speaking of it being November, we're hoping you guys would come to Thanksgiving dinner? It's at my house, and we'd really love it if you guys came. I mean, you are practically family."

"Well, technically I am your real family," Cheryl added. "It's confusing."

The group split and left. By the time the girls got home it was dark outside. Cheryl and Toni were both fairly exhausted. Toni had to edit the pictures she took earlier, so she was up an extra hour.

In the morning, Toni woke up first. For a few minutes, she just sat there and watched Cheryl sleep peacefully. She noticed that Cheryl always slept on her left side, and she wondered if that's just how she always slept, or was it only because that way, she'd be facing her girlfriend? Toni decided to go with the second option. Toni's phone buzzed once. It was a text from Fangs. "Sweet Pea's getting his wisdom teeth out in a few days, it should be fun seeing him all high and stuff." Toni sighed. Only Fangs would use Sweet Pea's surgery as a chance to get some good videos of him.

"When?" Toni replied. Fangs texted back so fast it was a bit unnerving.

"The 10th."

"That's three days!" Toni replied. "Yes we will be there." she texted before turning her phone off. Cheryl was still sleeping like an angel, snoring softly. She twitched ever so slightly, and then gently opened her eyes. "Were you watching me sleep?" Cheryl giggled.

"Maybe," Toni grinned.

Cheryl grabbed a pillow from behind her head. "Creep!" she teased as she hit Toni.

"Oh, it's on!" Toni squealed as she held up her own pillow.


	10. Chapter 10

The day Sweet Pea got his wisdom teeth out, Cheryl and Toni drove the boys over to the dentist. Fangs insisted on waiting during the procedure, but the girls decided to go grab some food from Pop's to take back, and a milkshake for Sweet Pea. They sat with Fangs for five minutes before a dental assistant came in with a clipboard. "Okay, you can come see him now. He's still pretty loopy, though."

Toni came in first, recording on her phone. "Hey, Sweets. How are you feeling?"

"I'm tired," he mumbled. He had gauze stuffed on both sides of his mouth.

Cheryl walked in shyly. "Hi," she waved at Sweet Pea. He drowsily waved back. Then Fangs came in.

"Oh, see, here's my boyfriend," he pointed at Fangs, who stood frozen in the doorway.

"I see," the dentist chuckled. "He told me all about you."

Fangs turned bright red. Everyone was staring at him, except for Sweet Pea, who was inspecting his hands. It was quiet, until Sweet Pea slowly whispered, "I can't feel my face."

"Yeah, it'll wear off. Don't worry," Fangs reassured him. "Oh jeez, it's gonna hurt when that medicine wears off."

"What?" Sweet Pea was a bit worried. "I don't want it to hurt," he mumbled. He was still clearly out of it.

They stayed for ten minutes and then came the hard part: getting Sweet Pea out to the car in one piece. It was manageable, but a bit difficult. He finally slumped down in the passenger seat, next to Cheryl. He immediately spotted the bag from Pop's. "I want a burger," he whined.

"You can't, only soft foods. We brought you a shake, do you want that?" Cheryl handed him a to-go cup with a vanilla milkshake in it.

"No, I like chocolate," Sweet Pea grumbled.

"Okay then," Cheryl shook her head and pulled out of the parking lot.

The car was silent besides the radio, until yet again the loopy Serpent broke the silence. "Fangs, kiss me," he said. Everyone laughed. "What? Fangs! Kiss me now!"

Fangs leaned over from the back and kissed Sweet Pea's cheek. "No, not like that!"

"I'm not gonna kiss you while you have bloody gauze in your mouth." Fangs just looked very, very embarrassed.

Cheryl was cracking up, while Toni was at least trying not to laugh. Sweet Pea crossed his arms and sighed. The car stopped in front of the trailer, and Fangs hopped out and opened the door for Sweet Pea. He flopped on the couch. "OW!" He yelled.

"Oh, did you hit your face?" Fangs put a hand on Sweet Pea's shoulder.

"Yeah," Sweet Pea mumbled.

"Hey, you can take the gauze out now," Toni looked at her phone, which displayed the time. "It's been a half hour."

Sweet Pea rolled over on his side. The medicine was starting to wear off. "My face hurts," Sweet Pea groaned miserably.

Fangs climbed onto the arm of the sofa and ran his fingers through Sweet Pea's hair. "It's okay," he consoled him.

"Dude, I have no idea how you dealt with being shot when this mouth pain is almost unbearable," Sweet Pea smiled.

"Yeah, well, it did hurt a lot, but it was a bit better because you were always by my side." Fangs pushed Sweet Pea's ridiculously long legs off the couch and sat down next to him.

"Can you kiss me now?" Sweet Pea asked impatiently.

"Fine, but gently, since five seconds ago you were whining about how much your mouth hurt."

Their lips brushed together and Fangs' fingers traced along Sweet Pea's jawline.

Cheryl and Toni were sitting on the armchair in the corner. There wasn't enough room for them both, and Toni was too stubborn to sit on the floor, so she just sat on Cheryl. Frankly, they were both pretty bored. "Uh, guys, we're gonna head home. Just call us if you need anything." Toni waved and left.

Cheryl followed her. "We'll send the videos Toni took." she smiled as she shut the door behind her and ventured out into the cold northeast air.

"Okay, so Thanksgiving's in a week, so we need to find outfits, and figure out what food we're gonna bring, and-" Cheryl ranted before Toni cut her off.

"Calm down, girl. I'll ask Betty if we need to bring anything."

"Maybe a souffle?"

"Cheryl!" Toni laughed. She grabbed her phone off of the counter and texted Betty. "Cheryl wants to know if we should bring anything." she texted.

"I think we're good food-wise. Maybe bring Fangs and Sweet Pea? (per Jug's request)"

"I'll invite them, although Sweet Pea's gonna have to stick to mashed potatoes. He just got his wisdom teeth out. BTW, there's some really funny videos of him."

"Ouch! But seriously, I need to see those videos."

Toni laughed. "What's so funny?" Cheryl slid over next to Toni.

"Well, we might be bringing a few more guests over to the Jones' place."

"Should be fun watching Sweet Pea try and eat anything." Cheryl giggled.

The evening concluded with Cheryl and Toni snuggled up on the sofa, desperate to finish season 3 of Game of Thrones. Cheryl wasn't really paying attention to the TV so much as Toni. The small girl's face was contorted, deep in thought. Her chin was resting on her fist and her other hand was gripping Cheryl's thigh tightly. "Baby, is there something wrong?" Cheryl paused the show.

"What? No, nothing's wrong." Toni's blank stare turned into worried, wrinkled eyes.

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

Cheryl turned the TV off. "I"m gonna ask again. Is there something wrong?"

"No! I was just thinking about my grandpa, but he's not worth my time anymore. You make it seem so easy, Cheryl. To just erase all the hate." Toni finally spat.

Cheryl extended her arms out. Toni fell into them and they stayed pressed together, listening to each others' heartbeats. "I'm sorry that you had to go through this, Toni. I know it's not easy." Cheryl stroked her girlfriend's pink hair.

"It's okay. We're gonna make it." Toni confirmed.

"I love you," Cheryl buried her face in Toni's shoulder.

"Love you too."

Cheryl picked up Toni, wrapped her legs around her waist, and carried her into the kitchen on her back. Toni sat on the counter while Cheryl dug around in a bag until she pulled out a record. It was a Beatles record, one of Toni's favorites. "If I remember correctly, your favorite is _Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds_ , right?"

"You got it," Toni grinned.

Cheryl put the record on, and the song started playing. "Be right back, T." she ran into the bedroom and returned with a book with a picture of them on the front. Toni opened it, and inside were pictures of them throughout the years. A picture of them posing with their high school mascot at a football game, a picture of them in the gym, in their matching cheer uniforms, a picture of Cheryl in her brand-new Southside Serpents jacket. There were photos from every event, from the junior year pool party, graduation, they day they moved into the apartment, Toni's birthday last year down at the river, and some more recent ones, like Cheryl holding Toni, with her giant arm cast. The last page was a picture Toni had taken at the record shop. Tucked in a pocket, was a pendant with a ruby and an opal. "Oh, Cheryl! This is..." Toni gasped. She clapped a hand over her mouth. Tears streamed from her eyes, taking black streaks with them.

Cheryl helped her put it on, and then pulled an identical necklace from her back pocket. Toni blinked away the tears and wrapped her arms around her amazing girlfriend. They pulled away for a second, gazing into each others eyes, and then kissed. It was like their first kiss, except so much more familiar. And so much warmer. It was a pretty harsh contrast in setting and mood, but it was the same feeling of happiness. Still the same sense of Familiarity.

* * *

 **I know this chapter was so, so short and I do apologize for that, but I promise next chapter will be extra long to make up for it! I honestly can't believe how far this story is coming along, originally I planned that it would have 5 chapters, but here we are at the big ten! Yay!**

 **-PeachyyyyBombshell**


	11. Chapter 11

The next week came by extremely fast. The day before Thanksgiving, Cheryl and Toni went out shopping together. "Why can't we just wear what we wore on our date?" Toni pestered.

"Too formal. Besides, I'm just looking for a scarf." Cheryl shrugged.

"And then you'll end up with new shoes, a dress, and a few pairs of sunglasses," Toni chuckled as Cheryl sifted through a rack of cardigans. "Cheryl! Scarf, remember?"

The redhead chuckled and walked away from the tempting display.

Thanksgiving Day, Cheryl sat braiding her hair while Toni applied a dark magenta hue to her lips. "Need some help?" Toni glanced over at Cheryl, who was struggling with a hair elastic.

"Yeah," she sighed.

Toni finished the braid and placed it over Cheryl's shoulder. "That scarf looks really good." she tucked in the tag of the amber fabric wrapped loosely around the pale-skinned girl's neck.

"Not as good as you," Cheryl winked and planted a tender kiss on Toni's cheek.

"You're so cute," Toni laid her head on Cheryl's shoulder.

"Let's go, I hate being tardy." Cheryl grabbed Toni's hand and her purse, and they drove to Betty's house.

They arrived with plenty of time to spare. As if on cue, Juniper and Dagwood came running up to Cheryl. She crouched down and hugged them both. Juniper went right up to Toni, but Dagwood was a bit shy. "Hey, Dag!" Toni waved. He waved back and ran inside.

Betty stood in the doorway. "Hi, guys!"

"Hey Betty! Happy Thanksgiving!" Cheryl scooped up Dagwood as Juniper toddled along beside her.

They got inside the warm house, and were greeted by everyone else. About 20 minutes after the couple arrived, the doorbell rang. "I'll get it!" Jughead called. He jumped up from the couch and opened the door. Fangs came inside, Sweet Pea following him.

"Hi, Betty!" Fangs waved.

"Hey! Oh wait, have you met everyone yet?"

Fangs looked around. "I think I've met your mom," he said, unsure of himself.

"This is my sister, Polly." Betty hugged Polly and Fangs shook her hand. Sweet Pea introduced himself. "And this is my niece, Juniper," Betty took the little girl's hand. Fangs knelt down and smiled. "Hi!" Juniper squealed.

"Hey," Fangs chuckled.

"Where's Dagwood?" Polly turned around. "Dagwood!" she called. The little boy came running into the living room. He giggled as Jughead picked him up and dangled him upside down. "And that's my nephew." Betty smiled.

"How do you do it, Polly?" Sweet Pea chuckled as he looked over at Jughead, who was sitting on the sofa, with Juniper on his shoulders and Dagwood on his lap.

"Mostly coffee. Betty and Jughead are a huge help. And mom."

Alice squeezed Polly's hand and nodded. Juniper squealed from across the room and darted past the cluster of people, while Dagwood chased her. "Hey, be nice please!" Polly craned her neck into the kitchen to keep an eye on them. She sighed.

"Ah, aren't kids the best?" Jughead remarked.

The oven timer beeped. "Oh, that's the turkey," Alice shuffled past Sweet Pea and into the kitchen. She set the dish on the counter. "There's some bread up here already, if anyone's hungry." she announced, looking at Jughead in particular.

"Sweets, think you can manage some bread?" Fangs held the basket full of warm rolls out.

"Yeah," Sweet Pea took a roll and bit into it. "Ow," he mumbled under his breath.

"What happened?" Betty asked.

"I got my wisdom teeth out." Sweet Pea said.

"Ouch," she replied.

Everyone was now seated at the table. The turkey was in the center, and other various dishes included stuffing, mashed potatoes, and some fresh vegetables. The twins were sitting at a little table in the kitchen while the adults ate. "Mommy, Juniper is kicking me!" Dagwood fussed.

"What did I tell you guys? Quit fighting!" Polly stood over the table condescendingly.

"Yes, Mommy!" both of the twins said in unison.

Polly sat back down and chuckled. Sweet Pea took small bites of stuffing, careful not to hurt his mouth. Fangs loaded his plate with more turkey and Betty poured water into glasses. Everyone was quietly eating, minus the occasional giggle or whine from the kids. "Can I get anyone anything else?" Alice asked.

"I think we're all good. This food is delicious, Mrs. Cooper." Fangs smiled.

"Oh, call me Alice. Serpents are family. Even if I'm retired." she winked at Betty.

After dinner, everyone sat in the living room, watching TV. The Pedigree dog show was on. They watched the herding group compete. There were corgis and Australian shepherds, and all different kinds of dogs. "Next up," the announcer said. "Number 29, Winnie the English sheepdog!" A dog that looked almost identical to Hot Dog trotted next to its owner. Fangs was the first to notice the resemblance. "Hey, that looks just like Hot Dog!" he pointed to the TV.

"Who's Hot Dog?" Polly asked.

"Oh, he was the old Serpents dog. Poor thing." Alice answered.

"What happened to him?"

"Snake bite." Toni said.

"A bit ironic, if you ask me." Jughead joked, trying to lighten the mood. Fangs sighed.

Around 8pm, people started leaving. "Thank you for the food, Alice." Sweet Pea put on his coat and grabbed the car keys from his pocket. "Thank you for coming!" she exclaimed.

"Bye bye!" Juniper waved as Sweet Pea and Fangs made their way out the door.

"Bye, Junie!" Fangs grinned as he shut the door.

"We should probably go too," Toni reached for her bag.

"Okay," Betty hugged Cheryl, and then Toni. "It was lovely having you guys over!"

"Thanks!" Cheryl hugged her niece and nephew, and then slid her hand into Toni's, and out the door they went.

"Was that a good Thanksgiving, T?" Cheryl asked as she drove home.

"Definitely better than the canned ham I had every year until I was like, 16."

"Well, I'd say so." Cheryl giggled.

"Have I mentioned that you look so hot in that scarf?"

"Metaphorically or physically?"

"Mm, I'd say metaphorically." Toni laughed.

When they got home, they immediately changed into their pajamas. Cheryl wore a dark blue silk set, while Toni just had some old leggings and a sweatshirt. None of them really knew who actually owned that sweatshirt, because it was constantly shared between them.

Around 11 at night, Cheryl got up to get a glass of water. She fumbled for the lights, looked down at the floor, and screamed. "Cheryl, are you okay?" Toni came running into the kitchen.

Cheryl was crouched on top of the counter, shaking. "There's a spider," she whispered.

"Oh my god, Cheryl. You woke me up because of a spider?"

"Kill it please," she whimpered.

Toni grabbed the broom and smushed the spider. "Happy now?"

"Yes. Thank you."

"Dramatic much?" Toni set the broom back in the closet.

"In my defense," Cheryl raised a manicured finger. "It was pretty big."

Toni chuckled. "Okay, you can get off the counter now."

"You're sure it's gone?"

"Jesus, Cheryl, you burned a house down and you're scared of a spider?"

"Big spiders." Cheryl rolled her eyes.

In the morning, Toni was up before Cheryl, so she figured she'd go ahead and go out, to get her a gift. She found herself at the jewelers, picking out a gorgeous ring. "Want a specific type of gem?" a man behind the display asked.

"How much extra would it cost?"

"Around $50."

"Ah, why not. Can you make it a topaz?"

"Yeah, I can do that."

"Great," Toni smiled as she slid her credit card across the glass counter to the cashier.

When she got back home, Cheryl was sitting on the couch, looking worried. "Toni! Where were you?" she stood up.

"Just had to run a quick errand."

"At 8 in the morning?"

"Yes. Sorry, I should've texted you." Toni put the bag down on the floor.

"What is that?" Cheryl pointed at the bag.

"A surprise," Toni smirked. "For tonight. I booked us another reservation for that place in Greendale."

"Aw, babe, you shouldn't have!" Cheryl hugged Toni. Her pendant dug into Toni's collarbone, but they could care less.

"I love you," Toni whispered. "Even if you do make me kill bugs while I'm trying to sleep."

"Okay, that was one time!" Cheryl laughed.

"I know. I love you."

And once again, it was just the two of them, off in their own little universe, spinning in their own unique pattern, full of stars and galaxies and planets and a fair share of asteroids. But that universe was theirs.


	12. Chapter 12

**Last chapter! I'm so happy with how this story turned out, I never thought it would get the recognition it has! I was originally supposed to be done with this story before season 3, but it took a bit longer, and I apologize for that. It's crazy looking back to July, when I first started writing this. It gives me a chance to see how I've grown as a writer, and I just want to thank all of my readers and a big shout-out to Larissa and Jaina (you know who you are) for helping me and giving me lots of ideas and feedback! This last chapter might be shorter than normal, hopefully all my readers still love it. Enjoy this chapter!**

That evening, Cheryl and Toni got ready for a romantic dinner date at the same restaurant they went to last time. While Cheryl rooted around in various spots trying to find the perfect pair of shoes, Toni sneaked out of the room and texted Fangs. "Hey, can you come and do the rose thing you did last time while Cheryl and I are out? I wanna surprise her." she typed. A response didn't come for about five minutes. "Yeah sure, spare key is in the flower pot right?" Fangs replied.

Toni sent a thumbs up emoji and put her phone in her purse. "Ready to go?" she popped her head into the bedroom just as Cheryl stood up from the vanity mirror.

"Yep," she smiled.

They drove to Greendale, and as they drove across the bridge above Sweetwater River, small flurries of snow began to fall. Toni put her hand on the window, running her fingers along the cold glass. She shivered. "Should've brought a coat," Toni wrapped her cardigan tighter around her abdomen.

Cheryl slid her arm across Toni's shoulders. The pink-haired girl smirked and leaned more into Cheryl's arm. They stayed that way for a long stretch of road, until Cheryl finally said, "Okay, my arm is falling asleep." Toni giggled and lifted her head.

The drive was quiet until they got to the restaurant. "I'm sure there's an umbrella in here somewhere," Cheryl looked in the backseat. She reached back and grabbed a blue umbrella. Toni reached for her door, but Cheryl interjected. "I'll come around with the umbrella," she reassured.

The two girls walked up hand in hand to the restaurant, dropped the umbrella in a bin the staff had set out, and went inside. "Reservations?" the waiter at the host table asked.

"Topaz," Cheryl said quietly.

"Huh?"

"Reservations for Topaz? That's us," Cheryl said shyly.

"Ah, okay, follow me," the waiter grabbed two menus and led the girls to a table near the back of the restaurant.

They sat down and ordered some drinks. Cheryl checked her makeup in a compact mirror. Toni just stared at the beautiful girl in front of her. "Why'd you freeze up?" Toni brushed her girlfriend's hand.

"What do you mean?"

"At the host table. You were, like, whispering." Toni tucked a loose strand of hot pink behind her ear.

"I just got nervous," Cheryl shrugged. "It's weird using your last name, since I practically have a giant Blossom trademark stamp on me."

Toni smirked. The candle in front of them flickered with the air from the heaters.

After they had eaten, Cheryl and Toni left, and walked out into a beautiful snowy wonderland. The flurries had been replaced with regular snow, and it had already fallen about a half inch thick on the sidewalk. Cheryl crouched as Toni held the umbrella close to her chest. They got in the car, only to find that the engine wouldn't start. "You have got to be kidding me!" Cheryl gripped the steering wheel out of frustration.

"It's probably just too cold to start. I'll go check it." Toni got out of the car and popped the hood.

She tried several different things, each with no result. She got back in the car, sighing with defeat.

"What do we do now?" Cheryl's voice sounded unsure and worried.

"Call a tow truck, I guess," Toni reached into her purse for her phone.

A tow truck showed up to take the car to fix the engine. Toni called a taxi to take her and Cheryl back to Riverdale. The ride home was silent except for the quiet jazz music playing on the radio. When they got out, Toni bolted for the stairs. "Why are you running?" Cheryl called as Toni took the stairs 2 at a time.

"You'll see!" she shouted as she kept sprinting.

When Cheryl finally got to the top of the stairs, Toni was sitting in front of the door panting. "Let's go inside, it's freezing out here." Cheryl took out her keys, but Toni pushed her away.

"Close your eyes," Toni put her hand on Cheryl's shoulder.

"Okay," Cheryl squeezed her eyes shut.

Toni opened the door and stepped inside. There were roses and tea lights everywhere. "Perfect," she murmured under her breath.

"Come on in!" Toni led Cheryl into the apartment. Her jaw dropped.

She spun around in the middle of the kitchen admiring the candles and flower petals. Toni put a record on the vintage record player. It was "Can't Help Falling In Love" by Elvis Presley.

Cheryl wrapped her hands around Toni's waist. They danced together, like they did last time. "I love you, Toni." Cheryl smiled.

"I love you too," Toni grinned, and grabbed Cheryl's hand. She led her into the living room. "I was wondering if you'd take my hand, and take my whole life too?" she beamed and sang with the lyrics. She pulled a box from her purse and knelt down.

"Cheryl Blossom, I can't help falling in love with you," Toni's heart raced. "Will you marry me?"

Tears streamed down Cheryl's face. She didn't say anything, she just nodded and giggled. Toni slid the silver band onto Cheryl's pale finger. "That blue stone is a Topaz."

"It's beautiful," Cheryl gushed.

"Not as beautiful as you." Toni smirked and pressed her lips against Cheryl's. Cheryl slid her arms under Toni's and picked her up, spinning her around and around.

Cheryl finally felt at home, with Toni as her wife-to-be. It was like destiny. It felt so different, yet so familiar.

 **Thanks so much again for reading this chapter! I love Riverdale so much, especially Choni! This story was so fun to write, and I hope to see all of my wonderful readers soon, maybe with another spin-off of this story. Until then,**

 **-PeachyyyyBombshell x**


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